Composition for treating keratin fibers



Patented u is, is Greet Br! Decem 3 Clue.

This invention is concerned with compositions for use in the treetmeut of keratin containing fibers such es wool or heir.

The eppllcotion is e, divisional of my applies.- tion No. groove, filed May 25, 1938, .(Petout No. 2,351,713; issued 20th day of June, ill-it) which is o continuation in port of Patent No. 2,291,929, filed December 9, 1935.

Kerstin containing floers ere customarily subjected to steaming or hot water treatment in the presenc oi compounds which may include reduciug agents at or only slightly below the boiliog point for the release of strain and the application oi a. permanent set.

it has been proposed to treat wool or hell with a. boiling hisulphlte solution while tepsloning the wool or hair. Such treatment at the lsoihng point will result in disruption of the disulphide hoods of'lreretin and the immediate iormstlop oi i s-NH bonds as indicated by the iollotving equations: 1) e-ssellsoe= p -R ug 1'. BEE-R where end R'-NH2 represent the peptide end associated side chains oi keratin. At or shout the boiling point, the reactions tolse piece with great readiness and e. sufilcle t number of linkages to import a permanent set to the fibers is formed in so short s. time that the process is commercially meiul. At lower tempera.- tures, however, the rate of formation of linkages as represented by Eouetion 2 above, is so smell fibers and causing disruption of the constituent disulphide bond of keratin, the composition comprising e. reducing agent of the group consistmg of bisulphites and compounds capable of yielding bisulphites, together with a'substontlal quantity of a water soluble alcohol.

A further object of the invention is to provide a. composition as set out in the preceding paragraph in which the .ter soluble alcohol is pres-= r to MNa-i-PMOaT-l 2.400.877 '1'" t soN rs. goo

her it, 1934 y el. ts application y 25, 1938,

and this applics- No. 523,114. in

out to the extent of 10 to 45 per cent. by weight. The conditions for disruption of disulphide bonds of keratin are very ievourable at about p114,

p the disulphide bonds of keratin, the mechanism of the resctiohs being represented as follows, the

symbols RS--SR end RN'Ha representing the peptide and associated side cheirls of keratin sud NeHSOa being employed as representative of eljkeli motel and ammonium lolsulphltes.

As indicated above blsulpliltes and meteblsulphites o pl-l l ore emcleht in bringing about disruptlop oi the disulphide loci-lei of keratin. In employing such reagents eccorcllhg to an exemplo, the hair is treated with e, 5 to as per cent. hisluphite or meto-lcisulphlte solution containin to per cent. ethyl alcohol for about 15 minutes at room tempereture or above. The solution may he removed by rinsing in plain warm water and the heir dried. hi the composition is to he used in a. preliminary step in the permanent waving oi heir, the hair in the relaxed state and having roomy oi the disulphide honds broken is then wound one, curler or otherwise deformed, no significant internal stress developing. The configuration given to the hair is then made permanent Toy treetmept with o solution of an oxidizing agent such es s. ill-volume hydrogen peroxide or a 10 per cent. alkali metal per-sulphate solution, or

the treatment with an oxidizing agent may follow treotmeht with the ketone or aldehyde solution for instance a. 60% acetone solution. Alternatively the configuration may be mode permanent by treatment with on elksli which has not got pronounced reduced action such as sodlum oerhouete solution, or emmonio. in solution or as e gee at room temperature or above, together with or lollowed by oxidising agents. In this case. the alkali serves to depress swelling and promotes the action of the oxidising agent in log disulphide bonds by oxidation of sulr v r t p The initial treatment of the hair with the bisulphite or metabisulphite solution described above may also be given after the hair has been deformed, for example on a curler, and the same subsequent treatment given for making the set permanent.

The hair may then be given the usual after treatment of permanent waving operations.

Alternatively instead of winding thehair on curlers it isformed into waves or curls on the head after being moistened with the solution. To facilitate manipulation of the hair, a, thickening agent may be added to the solution of reducing agent, for instance agaragar or kieselguhr in sufficient amount to give the consistency of a paste. Suitable wetting agents may also be added.

The hair may then be given the usual finishing treatment of permanent waving operations.

In the application of the invention to fabrics made of keratins such as wool, the usual crabbing and blowing operations for the removal or equalising of stress in the fabrics may be replaced by a reduction treatment in cold or warm solutions of the composition. The fabrics may then be treated for the removal of the reducing agent, for example by washing, or, by means of an aqueous aldehyde or ketone solution and followed if desired by treatment with a solution of an oxidising agent such as a Iii-volume hydrogen peroxide solution. Removal of the composition generally may be effected by treatment with an oxidising agent.

Stress may also be dissipated in the fibers by heating at as low a temperature as 37? C. with bisulphite solution containing, for example, 45 per cent. alcohol, and then if desired treating the fibers with an oxidising agent with or without treatment with alkaline solution at a low tempervolatile alkalies such as ammonia.

ature or exposure to an atmosphere containing The invention may also be applied to the removal of distortion in knitted fabrics of wool, arising from uneven stress in the yarn, by treatment of the fabric with the composition at 37 0. followed by treatment with an oxidising agent, a treatment with an alkali being also possible where a bisulphite is used.

Yarns for the manufacture of curl fabrics or artificial astrakan and Persian lamb fabrics may have a permanent set given to them by treatment of the deformed yarn with the composition followed by treatment with an oxidising agent, a treatment with alkali in solution or as' a gas being also possible where a bisulphite is used.

I claim:

- 1. A composition of matter for the treatment of keratin-containing fibers comprising a solution or an acid sulphite in water and an alcohol at about pH 4; the alcohol being present in quantities ranging from about 10 to'45% by weight of the solution.

2. A composition of matter as claimed in claim a 1 and containing a thickening agent in amount suflicient to increase the viscosity of the solution.

3. A composition of matter for the treatment of keratin containing fibers comprising a solution of a reducing agent of the group consisting of bisulphites and compounds capable of yielding bisulphites in water and an alcohol at about pH 4,

the alcohol being present inquantlties ranging 85 from 10 to by weight of the solution.

JOHN BAM'BER SPEAKMAN. 

